posted on February 19, 2005 10:50:02 AM new
As eBay's Treasure Hunt continues, we have the spectacle of "hunters" who are unaware of exactly what they are hunting for...It seems that eBay has deliberately kept what a "winning" auction looks like, most likely to hinder searches for contest specific attributes of the prize listings; going so far as to shut down, both on site and off, any attempts to reproduce a winning page.
OK...but what you have as a result are hunters who believe they actually have to BUY an auction before they know if they have won.
As it turns out, a contest winning auction blares the fact that it is such in the description area....but in their frenzy for the prize, hunters are "buying" regular auctions only to find they are now the proud possessors of less than prize worthy widget.
I sympathize with the sellers who will have to deal with this mess; of course, eBay will keep the listing fee in any case.
There is money being made. I found one seller with a BIN offering a duplication of a winning page for $19.95 (simply what it looks like). At last count, 12 buyers.
Best,
Michael
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posted on February 19, 2005 11:04:00 AM new
I for one will not ever list again during one of these promotional treasure hunts.
Now I see why there was a 5 cent listing fee promotion just days before the treasure hunt. Instead of 12 million items to search through, there are around 18 million items. The pages load at a snails pace and the "server too busy" page has had a workout too.
posted on February 19, 2005 11:30:02 AM new
Several people on another board suggested that the people winning the prizes are just stumbling on them while searching for something else. I believe they are right. I looked for a couple of them, but the clues are so stupid and there is so much to look through I decided it wasn't worth it.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
posted on February 19, 2005 04:39:31 PM new
Yeah - We had one of those Treasure Hunters "stumble" into our listings and "bought" an item. Then sent an e-mail and said they didn't want to bid.
"Sorry - you didn't bid," I said. You owe me the fees eBay charged unless you want the $20 widget you just purchased.
Now, this buyer had more than 20+ feedback, so not "too" new to everything...
She did promptly pay for the fees we incurred and said she was "done" with all this "treasure hunting" and that it left a bad taste in her mouth... Wonder why she was licking the pages?
Wayne
Never explain -- Your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.
~ Elbert Hubbard
